1989 United States Grand Prix
4 June |number = 473 |officialname = XXVI Iceberg USA Grand Prix |circuit =Phoenix Street Circuit |location =Phoenix, Arizona USA |circuittype =Temporary street circuit |lapdistance =3.8 |laps =75 |distance =285 |pole =Ayrton Senna |polenation =BRA-1968 |poleteam = |poletime =1:30.108 |fastestlap =1:33.969 |fastestlapdriver =Ayrton Senna |fastestlapnation =BRA-1968 |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber =38 |winner =Alain Prost |winnernation =FRA |winnerteam = |second =Riccardo Patrese |secondnation =ITA |secondteam = |third =Eddie Cheever |thirdnation =USA |thirdteam = }} The XXVI Iceberg USA Grand Prix, otherwise known as the 1989 United States Grand Prix, was the fifth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Phoenix Street Circuit in Arizona, USA, on the 4 June 1989.'United States GP, 1989', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr473.html, (Accessed 18/04/2019) The race would see Alain Prost claim his first victory of the season as well as the lead in the Championship, as arch-rival and teammate Ayrton Senna retired. Qualifying saw very little change in the top end of the field, with Senna taking a record 34th career pole position ahead of Prost in their s. Best of the rest proved to be Alessandro Nannini in the ahead of Nigel Mansell's , while Martin Brundle claimed fifth despite having to pre-qualify his . Prost would initially make the best getaway from the gird at the start of the race, only to briefly lose power after hitting a bump. That brief loss of momentum enabled Senna to streak back ahead to claim an early lead, leaving the Frenchman to fend off Nannini and Mansell. Senna duly escaped up the road during the early stages, with Prost quickly able to establish himself in second. Nannini gave chase but was evidently struggling, with handling issues, as shown when he slid down an escape road and lost third to Mansell. Mansell was able to briefly pace the two McLarens ahead, and would run in a solid third until he dropped out with a gearbox failure. Stefano Modena inherited third only to disappear with a brake problem, and hence left Caffi on the final podium spot. That ultimately became second when Senna suddenly dropped out from the lead of the race, whis McLaren suffering a complete electrical failure. Prost hence claimed the lead ahead of Caffi and Gerhard Berger, only for Caffi to crash when lapping teammate Andrea de Cesaris. Berger would retire a few laps later with an alternator failure, promoting Riccardo Patrese and Eddie Cheever onto the podium. Those two duly survived another late flurry of retirements to claim second and third, as Prost cruised to victory at the head of the field. With Senna having retired Prost's victory was enough to see the Frenchman move back to the top of the Championship, having scored in each of the five opening races. Patrese, meanwhile, would grab third ahead of Mansell, while McLaren-Honda moved 40 points clear in the Constructors' Championship. Background Ayrton Senna had moved seven points clear at the head of the Championship with his third victory of the season in Mexico, leaving Alain Prost a lonely second. Indeed, the Frenchman was eleven ahead of third placed Nigel Mansell, and maintained his belief that his car was under-powered compared to that of teammate Senna. Elsewhere, Alessandro Nannini had retained fourth ahead of Riccardo Patrese, with fifteen drivers on the board. had once again extended their lead in the Constructors' Championship, moving 36 points clear of the team in second. That team proved to be , moving ahead of , with the Scuderia themselves now level with on nine. A two point gap then followed before appeared, with ten teams on the board leaving Mexico. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Qualifying Pre-Qualifying Pre-Qualifying Results The full pre-qualifying results for the are outlined below: Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Tarquini and Palmer were still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance. † Gugelmin was disqualified for having brake fluid refilled during the race. Milestones * First Grand Prix to be staged at the Phoenix Street Circuit.'1989 United States GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1989&gp=United%20States%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 18/04/2019) * made their 200th appearance as a constructor.'5. USA 1989', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1989/etats-unis.aspx, (Accessed 18/04/2019) * 500th entry for a engined car. * Ayrton Senna set a new record for most pole positions - 34. * Alain Prost claimed his 36th victory. * 74th win for as a constructor. ** secured their 46th win as an engine supplier. * Ninth and final podium for Eddie Cheever. * Senna recorded the 40th fastest lap for a Honda engine. * set a new record for most failures to pre-qualify in a single season. Standings Alain Prost moved to the lead of the Championship after his first victory of the campaign, establishing a two point advantage over teammate Ayrton Senna. Indeed, the Brazilian had failed to score in the US, his second failure to score of the campaign, while Prost had registered points in all five races in 1989. Riccardo Patrese, meanwhile, had climbed to third ahead of Nigel Mansell, while Alessandro Nannini had retained his place in the top five. In the Constructors' Championship it was still who led the way, having extended their lead to 40 points at the head of the field. were their closest "challengers" on 16 points, three clear of third placed . A four point gap then followed back to , who had only scored in one race, while retained fifth. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1989 Grands Prix Category:United States Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in the United States